“I’m always away, I can never find time to study…” Being a pilot is not an excuse for not studying – if anything, as a pilot you have even more opportunity to study than an ‘earthling’.

Here’s a tip:

Most hotels have cable, so take advantage of it and tune into English-spoken shows that interest you.

If you like American sitcoms like Friends or Two and a Half Men try Warner Channel. There’s a new series on called ‘The Big Bang Theory’ that’s just hilarious. These are good to learn slang and idioms, that is, a more informal language.

If you’re into crime or action shows then AXN is your channel of choice. Series like ‘Criminal Minds’ and the classic ‘CSI’ (all versions) are great entertainment and bring good use of grammar and vocabulary that’s more neutral, perhaps more fitting to your work environment.

Finally, if you are just plain curious, enjoy the Discovery Channel family (Discovery Channel, Home and Health, Science, Turbo). These channels offer a wide variety of documentaries and reality shows which are very informative and have a quite neutral register – not too formal, not too informal – which is just a perfect model for the kind of language you want to use.

But remember: your priority when watching TV should be having fun, not learning English! So choose programs that are appealing to you and leave the rest to your brain: what is important to you will stick!